A trip down the old Pee Dee Road (now Bethesda Road) to the Malcolm McMillan Blue farmstead is a trip back in time to the days the Sandhills area was known as “the Pine Barrens.” Taking a tour of the 1825 farmhouse and museum provides insight into the lives of early pioneers in the Sandhills. The house is filled with authentic furnishings of everyday life during the 1800s. Visitors get a first-hand feel for what life in the 1800s was about by touring the farmstead. The grounds are shaded with 100-year old Darlington oaks and are composed of a windmill, gristmill, water well and numerous barns.

Malcolm Blue Farm hosts four annual events: the Down-on-the-Farm Fish Fry in April; the Bluegrass Festival in June; the Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival (which starts on the last Friday in September, see video of the 2008 festival); and an Early American Christmas held the second Saturday in December.

The 7.5-acre farm is the site of one of the largest and most popular traditional festivals in the region. The Malcolm Blue Historical Crafts and Farmskills Festival is held annually the last weekend of September. Approximately 1,500 school children visit the farm during School Children’s Day each year to learn what daily life and work was like in the 19th century. Some of the crafts and skills demonstrated are pottery, basket weaving, woodworking, blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, and soap and candle making. The festival has become one of the best intergenerational events in North Carolina.

The Malcolm Blue Farm is a Community Heritage Project, certified by the Regional History Sites Program of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The Society received the Governor’s “Take Pride in North Carolina” Award in 1995, the only group in the state to be so honored. The farm and museum have been designated by the North Carolina Civil War Tourism Council as part of the North Carolina Civil War Theme Trails and the National Civil War Trails. The 1825 farmhouse is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

A barn-style structure was built for a museum in 1986. On the first floor, exhibits have been constructed, with the assistance of the Museum of the Cape Fear, to include Scotland, Cape Fear Scottish Settlers, the Blue Family, Naval Stores, Lumbering, the Pioneer Woman, Tool Room, Farm Equipment and Agriculture. On the second floor exhibits include the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad, Country Store, 19th Century Mourning Etiquette, Pottery, and both Pine Needle and Native American Crafts. There are also displays of Girl Scout and Boys and Girls Club projects completed at the farm. Finally, there is an extensive exhibit on the Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads, one of the last cavalry engagements of the Civil War, which took place eight miles from the farm.

The farm and museum are owned and operated by the Malcolm Blue Historical Society. For more information please call (910) 944-7558, Contributions may be mailed to P.O. Box 603, Aberdeen, NC 28315. Contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.

A Quick Look into the History of Malcolm Blue Farm

On March 9, 1865 elements of the 1st Brigade of General Sherman’s Army, commanded by General Thomas J. Jordan, commandeered the house and Bethesda Church for a bivouac on their advance to Fayetteville. Fortunately, both were spared the destruction that befell many homes along Sherman’s route..... Click here for more history of the Malcolm Blue Farm

Malcolm Blue Farm Museum and farmhouse will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. or other times by special appointment.

1177 Bethesda Road, P.O. Box 603, Aberdeen, NC 28315

Telephone/fax 910-944-7558 for directions or Email Us